Figuring Out Natural Pest Control

One of the things I dislike about the house we’re renting right now is how poorly sealed off it is. We get ants and crickets in the house like you would not believe, even when things are clean. It’s something of a pain.

That said, I do like crickets… outside! If you relax about it, their chirping can be quite nice.

Inside, in the middle of the night is another story. I never knew how loudly crickets can chirp. And hunting for one in the middle of the night is not fun.

For the most part, you can’t get more natural than the main way we handle them. The kids think it’s great fun to catch a cricket by hand and throw it outside. It may take a little extra hand washing, but it’s fun for the kids. They’re gentle enough now that squashing the crickets isn’t really an issue.

We have a method for handling them outside once in a while too. My husband sometimes goes out in the evening and starts moving some of the stones they hide under. The local birds are pretty quick to come for such a feast.

The ants are more of a problem. We use Terro liquid because it’s effective and safe around humans and pets. Only trouble is how often ants keep coming back in new places. It can take a while to control a particular incursion if you aren’t persistent. Maybe that should be persist-ANT!

For those unfamiliar with it, Terro is basically a sweet syrup combined with Borax. In other words, you can make the same kind of thing at home if that’s your preference. Too much Borax can be a hazard to children and pets, but small amounts are unlikely to be any sort of problem. We’re always picky about where we bait ants even when using safe products.

And then there’s the occasional incursion of flies. This is really only a problem when someone leaves a door open a while (Yes, dear, I mean you mostly). Mostly we’ve handled this the old fashioned way – fly swatters! Last year we had to get out the flypaper, but things haven’t been so bad this year.

Which brings me to our worst problem…

Rats in the shed!

At least they’re outside. The shed was built by our landlord, and let’s just say he didn’t seal it at all from the walls to the roof. There’s several inches of opening there. No wonder the rats go in there.

These have been giving us more trouble. They’ve been too smart for the traps. No, I don’t mind killing rats. Most wild critters I’m very much into live and let live, but I’m admittedly biased against rats. And I really don’t want them getting so content in our yard that they go for the house. Rats being so notorious for carrying disease, this bias really doesn’t bother me.

Glue traps haven’t worked any better than spring traps. Rats really are too smart sometimes.

The neighbors have cats, but they aren’t out enough to make a difference. We don’t have pets; don’t want them while renting because moving is so hard with a pet. But sometimes these rats do tempt me with thoughts of a dog and/or cat to help control things.

I’ve been considering something like the Repels All Animal Repellent. As I said, rats are one I don’t mind killing, but the safer ways to kill them have been ineffective for us. We don’t want to risk neighborhood animals by using poison.

The way the shed is built, and the junk the landlord has behind it are the big causes for this problem, of course, so we’ve been trying to figure out a good way to take care of it. Not easy when it’s a construction issue in part.

Making the Shift Away From Being a One Car Family

One of the thoughts that kind of caught me off guard about having another baby is the realization that we can’t get by with just my husband’s car for much longer. While I don’t drive much, I will need to do a bit more when my daughter is born and has all the usual doctor’s appointments.

Not to mention that our current car is a 4 seater, incapable of seating a family of 5. The middle seat in back is cupholders. The car is also too narrow for another car seat.

So we need a car that can seat 5 comfortably, two of which are legally required to be in car seats, and the third who really doesn’t mind having a booster seat make it easier for her to see out the window. That’s perilously close to needing a minivan, which is one possibility we’re considering for the sheer comfort. I know my oldest daughter won’t be too comfortable being squeezed into even a wide backseat with two car seats beside her. But she may have to cope.

A lot depends on our budget, which is minimal to say the least. We’re trying, but it takes time to save up, even with my inlaws being willing to help out. They’ve suggested that they provide a down payment for something new, but I don’t trust my husband’s job stability enough to want to risk monthly payments. It’s just pushing things a little too far.

I did have to tell my husband that saving a mere $50 a month, his first suggestion, wasn’t exactly going to get us anywhere towards a decent car. Too little time.

We do intend to mostly live as though we only have the one car, assuming it will still be the most fuel efficient. The goal is to only use the second car when we need the space or I have to do something while my husband’s at work. We figure we can at least minimize how much gas we use that way.

Besides, I have a very solid habit of driving very rarely just now, and I’d like to keep it that way.

I had considered the possibility of using public transportation, and selling our current car once we have a second one, but I can’t see that working with my current obligations. One child in first grade. Another in speech therapy 10 miles away, no good bus route to it. Add in doctor’s appointments, which have a slightly better chance of being reasonable by bus, and things get difficult due to time.

We currently cope with the speech therapy by having my husband work the latest shift possible at his job. That means he starts at 11 am and leaves work at 7 pm. That sucks for family time, though. Our daughter in particular resents it because she sees so little of her daddy. They both got a little spoiled during the time he was out of work, I think.

Overall, I don’t feel too bad about this. We’ve coped as a one car family for more than a year and a half. It’s been hard at times but we’ve learned a lot about planning our needs more carefully. It’s a lesson I feel confident we’ll take into the future.

I Love Being Able to Spend Less on Baby Supplies

I still have a few months to go, but the more I talk to people, the more I realize how little I will need to buy for this baby at first. Cloth diapers, certainly, since no one in my family has taken that step before, but otherwise we’re looking to be in really good shape. New bottles and nipples for when she’s old enough that I can hand over some pumped breastmilk and let someone else feed her.

Oh yeah, did I ever mention it’s a girl? Or so we think. She wasn’t 100% cooperative with the ultrasound tech, but we got a fair view. Just not as clear as we had with our other two.

We hadn’t gotten rid of our old baby stuff, for one thing. That will save us a ton.

Baby clothes had been handed down, but we of course have offers of more clothes.

We were thinking we would have to buy a new baby car seat, as the old one was past the age they recommend using them for safety reasons, but my sister reminded me that she doesn’t need hers, and it’s well within the usable age range.

All in all, not a bad deal.

It’s getting to where I really need to pick out our cloth diapers, just to be sure they’re on hand when the time comes. I was also reminded by a reader, Diana, that cloth wipes are also a good idea. That makes a lot of sense to me. Why throw out wipes when you can just wash them together with the diapers?

My husband is also thinking he will install a hose and sprayer head for rinsing poopy cloth diapers into the toilet. Amazon sells a mini shower, but you can also get parts and make something similar on your own for less. I just can’t seem to find the tutorial I saw on that a couple months ago.

Now I just have to pick a brand to start out with. Anyone have a favorite?

New Theme!

I’ve spent some time working on a new WordPress theme for this site. Was getting pretty bored with the old one. I took some time to personalize a free theme, and make it more appropriate to this site.

I like that it gives you the chance to see both recent and popular posts. It should be interesting to see how that works over time. I also tried to make a point of keeping most of the old functionality, such as links to top commentators and the ability to subscribe to comments.

Are You Ready to Vote?

I know, I know, it’s a few weeks yet to the U.S. elections, but I think it’s important to be sure that you are making the time to educate yourself not only on who to vote for President, but for other offices and issues that are relevant to your area.

In California, for example, we have a bunch of propositions on the ballot. Happens every election, and my sisters and I are planning to get together this weekend to go over things. We don’t necessarily have to agree on them all, but it’s a reason to get our research done so that we will all know why we are voting the way we are.

We won’t be discussing Presidential politics. Most of us are in agreement, and at the very least minds are made up.

There are plenty of resources available to those who care to do the research. You can check your local newspapers, read through the tons of mail you may be receiving, or research online.

My favorite part is how easy it is to find both sides of the story. You aren’t just stuck with what the official analysis says. You can find opinions from people who have something to gain or lose as well as people who just have strong opinions they want to share. You can find opinions you think are idiotic and ones that will bring up points you hadn’t considered before.

It’s important to vote, but I think it’s more important yet to take the time to educate yourself before you vote. Otherwise you increase the chances that you will have misunderstood what you were voting on.